Fernando da Cruz: 10 things you didn’t know about Kaizer Chiefs’ new head coach

Kaizer Chiefs have officially confirmed the appointment of Fernando da Cruz as the club’s new head coach ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The French tactician has signed a two-year contract with a one-year option, effective 1 July 2026, which brings an end to weeks of speculation over who would succeed co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze.

The pair departed Naturena after guiding Amakhosi to a third-place finish in the Betway Premiership with 54 points — the club’s strongest league campaign since finishing second behind Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of the 2019/20 season.

Da Cruz is no stranger to the Soweto giants. He was part of Nasreddine Nabi’s technical set-up in 2024, taking charge of pre-season training before departing for a Technical Director role with the Moroccan Football Federation.

He will be joined on the bench by Egyptian assistant coach Mahmoud Abbas and French sports scientist Julien Le Heran, with two to three South African coaches also set to be integrated into the technical team.

But who exactly is the man now charged with turning Chiefs’ fortunes around?

10 things you might not know about Fernando da Cruz

1. He never played professional football — but captained France in a different sport

Da Cruz was never a professional association footballer. He played only at amateur level in the north of France. However, his talent on smaller courts caught the attention of national selectors, and in 1998 he was called up to the France national futsal team at the age of 26.

He went on to captain the side and represented Les Bleus in futsal until 2006. It is an unusual pathway into elite coaching.

2. He holds dual French-Portuguese nationality

Although born and raised in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, a suburb of Lille in northern France, da Cruz is of Portuguese descent. Multiple sources, including Kick Off, describe him as holding dual French-Portuguese nationality.

His bicultural background has helped him adapt to coaching environments across four countries and two continents. He grew up in the Hauts-de-France region and maintained a base in the Lille area for much of his professional life.

3. He had three separate stints at Lille — and once replaced Marcelo Bielsa

Da Cruz’s relationship with LOSC Lille spans more than a decade and three distinct roles. He first worked with the club’s youth structures, including coaching the U19 side from approximately 2009 to 2012. In January 2016 he returned as a scout.

Then, in November 2017, after legendary Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa was suspended and subsequently sacked following a 3-0 defeat at Amiens, da Cruz was named as part of a four-man interim coaching unit—alongside Joao Sacramento, Benoit Delaval, and Franck Mantaux—that took temporary charge of the first team.

He managed six matches (W2 D1 L3) before Christophe Galtier was appointed. He then took charge of the Lille B reserve side from 2018 to 2020, overseeing 51 matches (W16 D20 L15).

4. He was part of the Lille system that developed Hazard, Osimhen, Gueye, and Digne

During his years across the Lille academy, scouting department, and reserve team, da Cruz was part of the broader development infrastructure that produced several players who became household names in European football.

The official Kaizer Chiefs announcement credits him with helping to nurture Idrissa Gueye, Lucas Digne, Victor Osimhen, and Eden Hazard. His time in Lille’s youth set-up (circa 2009–2012) overlapped directly with Gueye’s development years, Digne’s emergence, and Hazard’s final season at the club.

For Osimhen, the overlap is more indirect — da Cruz was managing the Lille B team (2018–2020) while Osimhen was in the first-team squad.

5. He won the Moroccan league title with AS FAR Rabat

The biggest achievement on da Cruz’s coaching CV came in Morocco. He joined AS FAR Rabat in July 2021 as academy technical director and was promoted to head coach in August 2022.

In the 2022/23 season he guided the military-backed club to the Botola Pro league title, managing 49 matches with a record of 30 wins, 12 draws, and seven defeats, accumulating 67 league points. It remains the standout result of his career. He was, however, dismissed after the team was eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup at the quarter-final stage by USM Alger of Algeria.

6. He already knows Kaizer Chiefs from the inside

Da Cruz is not arriving at Naturena as a complete stranger. He was part of Nasreddine Nabi’s technical staff when the Tunisian was appointed Amakhosi head coach in 2024. Da Cruz took charge of pre-season training while Nabi completed his commitments in Morocco.

However, before the 2024/25 campaign kicked off, the Moroccan Football Federation tabled an offer da Cruz could not turn down, and he left to accept a Technical Director role with the FRMF. That brief spell still gave him first-hand knowledge of the squad, the club’s structures, and the culture at Naturena — an advantage Chiefs are banking on.

7. His salary has not been disclosed — but there is context

Neither Kaizer Chiefs nor da Cruz’s representatives have publicly revealed the financial terms of his two-year deal. For context, his predecessor Nasreddine Nabi was reportedly set to earn approximately R780,000 per month (around €40,000), which would have made him the highest-paid coach in PSL history.

That figure was a pre-appointment projection and was never officially confirmed. Before Nabi, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena was widely reported as the league’s highest earner at upwards of R600,000 per month. Da Cruz’s own package has not been reported in any detail.

8. He favours a possession-based style compared to Roberto De Zerbi

Da Cruz has built a reputation for tactical organisation, detailed preparation, and a preference for structured, possession-based football. At AS FAR, BeSoccer records his most-used formation as a 4-4-2, while a detailed tactical analysis by Kick Off described his system as a 4-2-3-1 that could shift into a 4-2-2-2, featuring a deep-lying double pivot, wide wingers, and forwards operating in half-spaces.

Kick Off drew comparisons to the approach of Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, noting the shared emphasis on building from the back and dominating possession. Whether or not that comparison holds, it would represent a shift from the more direct methods seen at Naturena in recent seasons.

9. He is bringing an international backroom team with him

Da Cruz will not be working alone. The official Kaizer Chiefs announcement confirmed that Egyptian assistant coach Mahmoud Abbas, 35, will join him on the bench, while fellow Frenchman Julien Le Heran will take charge of the sports science portfolio.

Reports from multiple outlets indicate da Cruz is arriving with a total of four members of his own staff, with the club planning to integrate two to three South African coaches into the technical team to create a blend of international expertise and local knowledge.

10. He is Chiefs’ 11th coaching change in 11 years

Da Cruz’s appointment underlines the managerial instability that has defined Kaizer Chiefs since they last won the league in 2014/15. He becomes the 11th coaching change at Naturena in 11 years, following Steve Komphela, Giovanni Solinas, Ernst Middendorp, Gavin Hunt, Stuart Baxter, Arthur Zwane, Molefi Ntseki, Cavin Johnson, Nasreddine Nabi, and the co-coaching duo of Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze.

The hope at Naturena is that da Cruz’s two-year contract, with the one-year option, signals a commitment to long-term stability at last.

Personal life: Da Cruz keeps his private life out of the public domain. No verified information regarding his marital status, family, or personal net worth has been published by any credible source.